Tag: 1981

Podcast The Time, 1981

Podcast: 40 Years of The Time – A Conversation with Darling Nisi and Harold Pride

Post author By Zachary Hoskins
Post date July 16, 2021
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July 2021 marks the 40th anniversary of the self-titled debut album by the Time; so, I decided to commemorate the occasion by bringing back Darling Nisi and Harold Pride for one of our trademark track-by-track deep dives. As always, the conversation left me thinking about the album in new ways: from KaNisa’s interpretation of it as Prince’s tribute to the funk music of his youth, to Harold’s insight on its significance to the development of electronic dance music. I remain grateful to be able to talk about music with these two brilliant people.

Last time, I promised I’d have another podcast episode ready in less than the almost two-year gap between our Prince (1979) and Dirty Mind episodes; and, technically, I did make good on that promise, since it’s “only” been 10 months since Dirty Mind last September. But for real, I’ll be back much sooner this time–like, probably around this time next month. So, if you haven’t already, subscribe to Dance / Music / Sex / Romance on your podcast provider of choice; and, if the spirit moves you, you can even leave a review! You’ll be hearing from me again very soon.

Tags 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1993, 1plus1plus1is3, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2009, 777-9311, allen beaulieu, andre cymone, atlanta, bet, big sexy, bird, brick, capitol theatre, cherrelle, chili sauce, chuck statler, controversy, controversy music, cool, cooley high, darling nisi, daryl hall, dazz, de angela duff, detroit, devo, dez dickerson, dirty mind, dirty mind tour, dm40gb30 symposium, don batts, don't stop til you get enough, dr fink, earth wind & fire, family, fishnet, flyte tyme, full force, funkadelic, gaithersburg, george clinton, get it up, gigolos get lonely too, girl 1981, girl 1985, girlsongs, grand central, harold pride, he's so dull, head, holly rock, i didn't mean to turn you on, i wanna be your lover, if i was your girlfriend, if the kid can't make you come, innocent, irresistible bitch, jamie starr, jellybean johnson, jesse johnson, jill jones, jimmy jam, jungle love, just as long as we're together, kim upsher, kiowa trail, let's pretend we're married, let's work, lisa coleman, los angeles, love bizarre, mc hammer, michael dean, michael jackson, minneapolis, monte moir, morris day, mtv, muse 2 the pharaoh podcast, nasty girl, nothing compares 2 u, npg ahdio show, npg music club, oaktown, on time, one nite alone tour, onedayi'mgonnabesomebody, original 7ven, paisley park records, parliament, partyup, prince, prince's friend, purple rain film, questlove, rebels, revolution, rhino records, richard cole, ricky wyatt, rough, second coming film, sexy dancer, shalamar, sheila e, shortberry strawcake, sister fate, sometimes i get lonely, stick, sue ann carwell, terry lewis, time, tionna music, tlc, tricky, uptown, vanity, vanity 6, walk, warner bros records, welcome 2 america tour, wendy melvoin, wet dream, when we're dancing close and slow, when you were mine, whip it, wild and loose, zapp

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#1plus1plus1is3: Controversy Presentation and Panel

Post author By Zachary Hoskins
Post date July 12, 2021
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Late last month, De Angela Duff uploaded the presentation I delivered at her #1plus1plus1is3 virtual symposium back in March. I had the privilege of sharing the Controversy panel with Christopher A. Daniel, Steven G Fullwood, Edgar Kruize, and moderator C. Liegh McInnis. My paper, “I Wish We All Were Nude: Allen Beaulieu’s Infamous ‘Shower Poster’ as Aesthetic Linchpin and Artifact,” was definitely the silliest of the four, so my thanks once again to De Angela for her indulgence.

One quick correction, which came up in the chat at the symposium: While Allen Beaulieu was involved in the Controversy poster shoot, the actual image that made it onto the poster was taken by none other than Lisa Coleman! So, Lisa, if you ever want to come on my podcast and spend an entire hour talking about nothing but this photo, consider this your open invitation.

If you can’t get enough of me and my pandemic hair, below is the Q&A I did with Christopher, Steven, Edgar, and C. Liegh:

Finally, I’d like to share a few of my favorite presentations from the symposium. It isn’t an exhaustive list–my real recommendation is that you watch every video on De Angela’s channel!–but if you’re looking for a good place to start, you can’t go wrong with these.

Erica Thompson on the influence of Christian values (and Prince’s dad) on The Rainbow Children:

Robert Loss on work and racial capitalism in The Rainbow Children (and also the infamous “Avalanche”):

KaNisa Williams’ audiovisually stimulating exegesis of The Rainbow Children/One Nite Alone era:

My favorite “discovery” of the symposium, Melay Araya, on the Diamonds and Pearls videos’ place in Prince’s canon as a filmmaker:

Kamilah Cummings on Diamonds and Pearls and the “myth of colorblindness” in Prince’s work:

Harold Pride on “Gett Off” as Prince’s “quintessential maxi single”:

And, last but not least, the aforementioned C. Liegh McInnis on the lyrics of Diamonds and Pearls, which had us reconsidering, of all things, the poetic merits of “Jughead”:

In short, the symposium was an absolute joy, and I’m proud to have been a part of it. I’m already counting the days until next year’s “Triple Threat” symposium on 1999, What Time is It?, and Vanity 6!

(Edit: I posted too soon and didn’t include this great recap video De Angela posted on Monday! It captures so much of the fun we all had that weekend. See you again at #TripleThreat40!)

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Ephemera, 1983

Velvet Kitty Cat

"Nude of Wendy with cat Mouche, Brooklyn 1983," Édouard Boubat.

After unceremoniously ousting Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis from the Time, Prince tried to continue work on the group’s third album; somehow, though, the remaining members didn’t share his enthusiasm. According to sessionographer Duane Tudahl, on April 20, 1983–just two days after sending Jam and Lewis packing–he jammed on a new song called “Sleazy” with Morris Day on drums, Jesse Johnson on guitar, and himself on bass. “Using his old man/Jamie Starr… voice, Prince tried to work in elements from ‘Cloreen Bacon Skin,’” Tudahl writes; “but tensions were higher than usual,” and “it was obvious that none of them were completely committed to the track” (Tudahl 2018 74). The song, by all accounts, went unfinished.

Luckily, Prince wasn’t exactly short on side projects to write for; so he turned to Vanity 6, his other supporting act on the 1999 tour and prospective co-stars in his as-yet-untitled film project. During the 10-hour session at Los Angeles’ Sunset Sound on April 20–alongside several takes of “Sleazy,” overdubs for “If the Kid Can’t Make You Come,” and another seemingly unfinished instrumental titled “My Love Belongs to You”–the ever-prolific artist found time to demo a new track for the girl group: an appropriately lithe, slinky little ditty called “Velvet Kitty Cat.”

Ephemera, 1983

Cloreen Bacon Skin (Tricky)

Post author By Zachary Hoskins
Post date January 8, 2021
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Morris Day in the studio with the mysterious Jamie Starr, circa 1982; photo by Allen Beaulieu, stolen from the Prince Museum on Facebook.

The sessions for the Time’s third album began during an especially fraught period in their relationship with Prince. On March 21, 1983, just over a week before recording commenced at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, Prince left the band off the bill at New York’s Radio City Music Hall–an apparently calculated move to keep the spotlight on himself, and off his protégés. A week later, he’d repeat the snub at L.A.’s Universal Amphitheatre. Meanwhile, keyboardist Jimmy Jam and bassist Terry Lewis were on thin ice after missing their flight for a March 24 show in San Antonio. Once Prince discovered the reason for their absence–an unsanctioned Atlanta studio date producing the S.O.S. Band–it would spell the end of their tenure in the group.

Yet, even amidst all this interpersonal strife, there was still room for a little levity. And so it was that, on March 27–just one day before the Universal Amphitheatre show–Prince and the group’s frontman/studio drummer Morris Day cut “Cloreen Bacon Skin”: an improvised, 15-minute funk groove-cum-comedy sketch with a surprisingly long afterlife in the former’s body of work.

Ephemera, 1987

I Need a Man

Prince by Jeff Katz, circa 1987; © the Prince Estate.

As of this Friday, the wait is finally over: Sign “O” the Times Super Deluxe will at last be in our hot little hands (or at least our hot little streaming services; I ordered my physical copy from the official Prince store, so let’s just say I’m not getting my hopes up about getting it on release day). In the meantime, Warner Bros. has given us one last preview track to tide us over: Prince’s January 1987 recording of “I Need a Man.”